Sculpted Garments Abstract The Body In These Haunting Images

Los Angeles-based studio Cope-Arnold combine photography and fashion design to create ‘Vedas’: a series of haunting images of the human form in sculpted garments.

The studio is comprised of Nicholas Alan Cope and Dustin Edward Arnold, whose combined backgrounds include fashion design, editorial and architectural photography, art direction, and set design. Taking inspiration from the striking black and white portraiture of the legendary Irving Penn, ‘Vedas’ deals with the perception of geometry, light, texture, and form. The pair designed a collection of structured veils and mesh cloaks that explore the tension of material—in some places, garments are pulled taut across anonymous heads and in others, material drapes loosely to the floor. The resulting monochrome photographs achieve an aesthetic that is dramatic and eerie. The title of the series means ‘knowledge’ in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language. Cope-Arnold designed the collection with this concept in mind, aiming to challenge the expansive and restrictive nature that knowledge has on humanity.